Who the heck is Nene?

Well, interestingly enough, Nene is not his real name. I mean it is, now. But it wasn't his original name. He was born Maybyner Rodney Hilario in Brazil, and legally had his name changed in 2003. Nene means baby in Portuguese (is that the official language of Brazil?) I wonder how much he loves the Denver winter weather over the sunny beaches of Rio.

Points-wise, this guy has been a huge asset to the Denver Nuggets this season. Compared to his stats last season, he seemingly came from the back of the pack to suddenly putting up super strong numbers. Now, you may have noticed that suddenly last January he wasn't appearing with the rest of the Denver Nuggets roster on the court - due to testicular cancer and a tumor that needed to be removed.

He's a big guy - 6'11 and 250 pounds. He holds his own on the court. His shoes are a size 17. And you know what they say about big shoes...big arm span. His is over 7'4. He does public service announcements for the United Nations. He gives back to his hometown community - hosting gospel events with his hometown pastor and sponsoring over fifty kiddie athletes in his home city. Seems like an all around good guy, with huge talent. Can't wait to get some Denver Nuggets tickets to watch him help bring the Denver Nuggets to the NBA Finals!

Back in action.

Right off the bat...who's ready for some FOOTBALL this weekend? I'll be chillin at my cousin's Superbowl party rooting for the Arizona Cardinals...mostly because I can't wait to be laying poolside in AZ for Spring Break. (since I have no real ties to either team, that's about what it came down to. Fancy schmancy, huh?)

Second...off the bat. Did anyone else have this high of expectations for the Denver Nuggets roster at the beginning of the season? Cause I gotta say that I sure as heck did NOT expect them to be this on their game this season. But they are sitting at the top of their conference in first place with a 29-15 record. Signing Chauncey Billups may have been the best move the Denver Nuggets have ever made. At least this season. Another surprise from the Denver Nuggets roster: Nene. He's four points away from beating Carmelo Anthony's career points total. Craziness. Look for a player profile on the young superstar in the making later this week. And speaking of Carmelo Anthony, while he hasn't quite caught up with his 'normal' season stats, he's definitely gotten back in the game. And possibly going to be picked for the NBA All Star Game.

Third on the list. I don't have a lot to say on the Colorado Avalanche - they're currently sitting on a 23-23-1 record, unimpressive - but I do have something interesting from the league. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has decided to force players to sit out an extra regular season game if they sat out the All Star Game last weekend after being selected by the fans, in an effort to squash the don't-injure-my-best-players-in-an-inconsequential-game theory some teams take heading into the weekend. Important move by Bettman? I guess. There's been a lot of dwindling interest in the ASG over the past few years, so he's really just trying to push the game by keeping the best players on the ice. Best advice Bettman should take right now? Combine the ASG and the Winter Classic.

Fourth - Josh McDaniels, hottie and former offensive coordinator/QB coach for the New England Patriots, is the new head coach of the Denver Broncos. More on that later this week as well.

Fifth - Colorado Rockies Spring Training starts in less than a month...who is headed to the warm weather??

That's all for now. Now that I'm not working/traveling/holidaying like a crazy person I promise to be a better blogging fiend for all things Denver sports. At least I promise to try.

Over and out.

UPdaTE

Lots-o-news since my last update.

First and foremost, our Denver Broncos schedule will be ending with the regular season. Sadly, the boys did not make it to the post season this year. Interestingly: Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan was fired after fourteen seasons with the team. While the search is still ongoing, New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo seems to be the front runner candidate to fill the open position. It sounds like this will be resolved sooner rather than later.

The Denver Nuggets are still sitting at the top of the division, their most recent win being Saturday night with a close game against the New Orleans Hornets. They had a little bit of a slump in December, but seem to be kicking off January with a bang, winning the last three games they've played. Oh, and Denver Nuggets roster member Carmelo Anthony seems to be finally getting his schtuff back together and actually scoring points again. He still has quite a bit of ground to make up from the beginning of the season, though, so hopefully his head is in the game for good.

On a side note, I'm really excited for Friday night's game against the Detroit Pistons. It's a huge game, not only for the team, but for the fans as well! If you're looking for cheap Nuggets tickets for the game, I found a site that has some really awesome prices. Check 'em out.

The Colorado Avalanche were on a roll in late December, I was super impressed. They even beat last year's Stanley Cup champion team, the Detroit Red Wings, at home at the Pepsi Center. I thought they were serious about winning. But now, they seem to have started up on another losing streak. They've given away their last three games, including tonight's game against the Minnesota Wild. Hopefully they didn't catch the Wild's bad luck (they've been on quite a losing streak lately as well), cause I would really like to see our Colorado Avalanche roster make it to the playoffs this year, and make it PAST the second round. And I think they could really do it if they truly put their hearts into it. And kept on a solid winning streak. C'mon boys!